


A Dinner-Auction, FaceTime and Other Stuff

by EiriniThalassa



Category: Grey's Anatomy, Station 19 (TV)
Genre: F/F, Family Feels, Feels, Fluff, Original Character(s), Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 07:34:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26469505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EiriniThalassa/pseuds/EiriniThalassa
Summary: There's a dinner-auction of sorts, and Carina takes part in it. Also, Maya meets Carina's grandmother.
Relationships: Maya Bishop/Carina DeLuca
Comments: 52
Kudos: 751





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was in the middle of writing the next chapter of my ongoing fic (which I will continue), when this popped into my head and I started writing it, instead. I thought it was going to be a short one-shot, but... :D
> 
> However, as it is usually the case with these 'out-of-nowhwere' fics of mine, I would really love your feedback to know whether it's worth continuing, or not. 
> 
> Also, there is a lot of Italian in this one. I was thinking about writing the whole thing completely in English - but decided against it. Hope you guys manage to follow the plot anyway - there are translations. :)
> 
> I don't own the characters (except the original ones).

“When does the bidding start?” Maya asked, looking at Carina.

It was a late evening and they were on the couch in Carina’s living room, talking.

“Tomorrow morning and it ends on Friday.” the brunette replied.

“And, it’s online and open?”

“Online, yes; but it’s open only to the donors of the Hospital, Board Members, Staff and partner institutions. You have to be invited, and have a code to enter.”

“In other words, it’s only for those with deep pockets.” Maya remarked meaningfully.

“Well, it makes since, I guess… Since the idea is to raise money for the new equipment and construction work at the Hospital.” Carina mused.

“No, I get _that_.” the blonde returned. “What I don’t get is why it has to be raised through individual dinners with doctors and staff? Why can’t it be just one big Gala, or something?”

GreySloan Hospital was organizing an auction-dinner of sorts, with most of its Staff and Board Members participating.

“Well, because with our schedules, it’s almost impossible to get us all in a room at the same time, and this allows for some flexibility.” the Italian explained.

“Flexibility which, if you have enough money, allows you to take hot, single doctors to dinner. Nice!” Maya deadpanned.

Carina smiled and reached for her girlfriend’s hand. “First of all, not all of us taking part are single; and secondly, it’s just dinner.”

Maya sighed. Even though she knew Carina was right, she still was not sold on the idea. “And, who thought of it?” she asked.

“I think that it was Dr. Bailey who had suggested it initially, but the Board approved it.”

“Of course it did. Since all those doctors - who are mostly involved with other doctors - are going to bid to win, anyway. And as I understand it, some of them are Board members, as well.” Maya pointed out. "The whole thing seems pretty convenient."

“Actually, the partners or spouses on the Staff or the Board are highly discouraged from bidding on dinners with their significant other.” Carina said.

Maya made a face. “Yeah, like that’s gonna make much difference!”

The brunette chuckled. “You never know - it may.”

“Really?!” Maya countered, raising her eyebrows. “So, you’re telling me that if I was working at the Hospital, you wouldn’t bid on a dinner with me?”

“OK, that’s a fair point.” Carina admitted. “But, you do know you have absolutely nothing to be worried about, right?”

The blonde nodded. “I do.” She really did – rationally, at least.

“Besides, we’ll see what happens.” Carina shrugged. “I mean, maybe no one is going to want to bid on a dinner with me, anyway.”

Instantly, Maya gave her a look that made the Italian stifle a laugh. “I’m not even gonna dignify that with a comment!” the blonde returned, letting go of her girlfriend’s hand. After a few beats, she asked: “So, is everyone going to enter?”

Carina nodded. “Most of us, I think.”

“I bet Andrew is mad that he can’t participate.” Maya suddenly noted with a chuckle. Carina’s brother had left for Italy two days prior.

“Oh, but he can. Apparently, Jackson texted him to see if he wanted to participate, which of course, he did. And since the bidding ends on Friday, and there’s no fixed deadline for the dinners; he can go to his when he gets back from Italy.” Carina explained.

“He must have been thrilled about that!”

“He was. Of course, he’s hoping to be taken out to dinner by a doctor that also happens to look like a supermodel. But, I wouldn’t get my hopes up…” the brunette quipped with a chuckle of her own.

“That’s mean, Carina!” Maya admonished her, jokingly.

“No, it is not. It’s just realistic. None of us knows who we are going to end up going to dinner with.” Then, her expression and tone changed. “But, seriously, bella… If you don’t want me to participate, I’ll tell Dr. Bailey that I am not going to do it. I mean, the participation isn’t mandatory, so... If you don’t want me to do it, I won’t.”

Maya was taken aback. Shocked almost. She definitely did not expect this. “You’d do that?!” she asked, looking at the Italian.

“Of course I would, amore!” Carina returned with a loving smile, taking the blonde’s hand with her own, again. “I don’t want to do anything that would cause you discomfort. And, I’m sorry that I didn’t talked to you about it before I accepted. But, I honestly, didn’t think it was such a big deal.” she offered, earnestly. “Although, I have to admit that, if the situation were reversed, I don't think I would like it very much either. I…”

The rest of her words were silenced by Maya’s lips on hers in a sweet kiss. “No, I want you to do it.” the blonde said as it ended.

“Are you sure?” Carina asked, searching her girlfriend’s face for any trace of doubt.

“I’m positive.” Maya reiterated. “Besides…” she said as a telling grin spread across her face. “It really wouldn’t be much of an auction without its hottest doctor taking part, would it?”

Carina smiled and leaned in for another kiss. “Ti amo tanto, bella!”

“I love you too, Car!” Maya returned. “Though, next time, you may wanna tell Dr. Bailey to organize a charity game, instead. Or to do a calendar.” However, as soon as she uttered the second suggestion, she realized her mistake. “No, strike that! No calendars! You look too hot in a lab coat!”

The Italian grinned suggestively. “You think I look hot in a lab coat?! You’ve never told me that.”

“Because I thought that much was obvious!” Maya returned, showing off her dimples.

“Well, maybe, but it still would have been nice to hear…” the brunette said just before she made the distance between them disappear in another kiss.

Unfortunately, just as things were starting to get a little more ‘heated’, Carina’s phone rang. They both let out almost simultaneous frustrated groans, but neither broke contact. As the ringing continued, however, Maya breathed out…

“I hope it’s not an emergency delivery. I love babies, but sometimes, their timing really sucks!”

Carina laughed as she broke their embrace and reached for her phone. As she picked it up, she frowned slightly. “It’s not the Hospital. It’s Andrea, and he’s FaceTiming me.”

“I stand corrected – _your brother’s_ timing sucks!” Maya quipped as she put a little distance between her and the brunette.

“That it does!” the Italian nodded, smiling. Her little brother had always had the annoying habit of making his presence known at the most inconvenient times.

“It may be something important, though.” Maya noted. “I’ll give you some privacy.” But, as she went to stand up…

…Carina stopped her by gently grabbing her arm. “No, stay.”

Maya smiled adoringly and sat back down. However, she maintained some distance between them.

Carina answered the call. “Pronto, Andrea?”

“Ciao sorellina!” her brother greeted her, smiling. “Are you decent? Perché’ c’è qualcuno qua che vorrebbe parlare con te. **(There is someone here who would like to talk to you.)** And, don’t worry it’s not papà.”

The brunette frowned slightly, but before she could say anything, her expression changed completely, and she exclaimed. “Nonnina!”

“Bambina mia!” a smiling, elderly woman said.

“Pero’, come?! Che cosa ci fai lì, Andrea?! **(But, how… What are you doing there, Andrew?!)** ” Suddenly, Carina was very confused. Her brother was in Italy, on a ten-day vacation, but he said he was going to Milan. He had not mentioned anything about visiting their maternal grandmother, who lived far away from Milan.

“Ho cambiato idea. Ho deciso di venire qua e fare una sorpresa alla nonna.” **(I’ve changed my mind. I’ve decided to come here and surprise _nonna_.)** Andrew replied.

“Ma, potevi dirmelo, pero! L’avrei mandato qualcosa!” Carina reproached. **(You could’ve told me, I would have sent her something!)**

“Ma, non lo sapevo neanch’io!” **(I didn’t know it, either.)**

“Già!” **(Yeah, right!)**

“E’ vero. Ti giuro, Cari!” **(It’s the truth… I swear!)**

“Ragazzi, non litigate!” **(Kids, don’t fight!)** Carina and Andrew’s grandmother interjected. “Ho chiesto io ad Andra di chiamarti, Carina, perché’ volevo vederti un po’. Lasciami vederti meglio! **(I’ve asked Andrew to call you, Carina, because I wanted to see you for a little bit. Let me see you a little better.)** ”

As Andrew adjusted his phone so that their grandmother could see his sister a little better - and told her who do hold it - Carina swallowed hard. She missed her grandmother a lot. She spoke to her as often as possible, but it had been a long time since she had last seen her in person - or virtually - for that matter.

Maya noticed that Carina was fighting back tears, and she had to fight the urge to reach over and take her girlfriend’s hand. Even though she had not understood the actual meaning of the words being spoken, she did get the general idea. And, she knew that the elderly woman was Carina’s maternal grandmother – she had recognized her from the pictures Carina had shown her. The brunette had also spoken about her quite often and Maya knew they cared about each other deeply; even if they had seen each other rarely, especially after Carina’s mother had moved to the United States with Andrew. However, Maya also knew that Carina had not yet told her grandmother that she was more into women than men, and that was why she was hesitant to hold the brunette’s hand – even if it was just to offer her comfort. Instead, she had limited herself to just looking at her, hoping that Carina would glance back at her, even for a beat - which she did. And as she did, Maya smiled at her, hoping that her smile would convey what her words at that moment could not – that she was there for her.

As she waited for Andrew to adjust the phone for their grandmother, Carina glanced at Maya. And instantly, she melted. The look and smile on the blonde’s face made her heart soar and almost caused the tears she had been fighting so hard to keep at bay, over the past few minutes, to start falling. Because, even though Maya was just sitting there quiet, her look and face spoke volumes.

“Sì, adesso la vedo molto meglio. **(I see her much better now.)** ” Carina heard her grandmother say and she looked at her phone again. “Sei bellissima, tesoro!” **(You look beautiful,** **sweetheart** **!)**

She smiled brightly. “Grazie, nonnina!”

“Sei un po’ troppo magra, però!” **(You are a bit too skinny, though!)**

“Non sono magra, sto bene.” **(I’m not skinny, I look fine.)**

“Andrea dice che lavori troppo. Dovresti riposare di più.” **(Andrew says you work too much. You should rest more.)**

“Ma, anche lui lavora troppo.” **(He works too much, as well.)**

“Sì, ma, lui è in vacanza adesso, e tu no.” **(Yes, but he is currently on vacation and you’re not.)**

Carina heard her brother chuckle, and instantly, she made a mental note to kill him the next time she saw him. “Sto bene, nonnina, davvero, non ti preoccupare. **(I’m alright, honestly. Don’t worry.)** ” she said. “E tu, come stai?” **(How are you?)**

“Io sto da Dio. Hai già cenato?” **(I’m great! Have you already had dinner?)**

“Si’, ho mangiato al lavoro. Ti vengono a trovare i vicini?” **(I’ve eaten at work. Do the** **neighbors** **come to visit?)**

“Se mi vengono a trovare, dice! Stanno sempre qua, non mi lasciano mai da sola.” **(Are you kidding?! They are always here, they never leave me alone!)**

Carina smiled. “Mi fa piacere sentirlo. E comunque, se hai bisogno di qualcosa, adesso c’è anche Andrea.” **(I’m glad. And, if you need something, now you also have Andrew there.)**

“I was thinking about buying her a cell, and teach her how to FaceTime.” Andrew suddenly interjected.

“That’s a great idea - do that!” Carina agreed promptly.

“Smettete di parlare in inglese! Lo fate sempre quando non volete che io senta qualcosa.” **(Stop talking in English! You always do it when you don’t want me hear something.)**

“Scusaci nonnina!” **(We’re sorry!)** both Carina and Andrew said dutifully.

Their grandmother smiled warmly. “Domani quando lavori?” she asked her granddaughter. **(When do you work tomorrow?)**

“Domani ho il giorno libero.” **(I have a day off tomorrow.)**

“Bene, così ti riposi un po’. Lo sai già cosa farai?” **(Good, you can have some rest** **then. Do you already know what you’ll be doing?)**

“Sì. Passerò del tempo con degli amici.” **(I’ll spend time with some friends.)**

Carina heard Andrew clear his throat, and now, she definitely decided to kill him the next time she saw him. However, she could not think about that for too long, because her grandmother’s next question took her completely by surprise…

“Ti vedrai anche con quella amica tua… la vigile del fuoco… com’è che si chiama…?” **(Are you also going to see that friend of yours… What’s her name… The firefighter...?)**

“Maya.” Carina replied on instinct, making Maya frown in surprise. “Si chiama Maya, e sì, la vedrò. Infatti è qua con me adesso.” **(Her name’s Maya. And, yes, I’ll be seeing her; in fact, she is here with me right now.)**

“Ma, è lì con te?” **(She’s there with you?)**

“Sì è qua vicino a me.” **(Yes, she’s here next to me.)**

“Ma, fammela vedere, allora.” **(Well, let me see her, then.)**

Carina looked at Maya. “My nonnina wants to see you. She was asking about my plan for the day off tomorrow. I said I was going to spend it with my friends and then she asked if you were one of those friends - I said _yes_. And, now, she wants to see you.” the Italian explained, looking somewhat apologetically at her girlfriend.

“I am OK with it if you are.” Maya returned calmly, smiling; and inadvertently making the brunette fall in love with her even more.

Carina was still on fence about telling her grandmother that Maya was her girlfriend, though she was leaning heavily toward _yes_ for some time now. However, she had not yet discussed it with Maya, and she did not know how she felt about it.

But, as she heard the blonde’s words, she beamed. “Come closer…” she said.

And, without wasting another beat, Maya did.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story continues...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised - Chapter 2.
> 
> Hope you like it.

“ _Nonnina, questo è Maya_. Maya, this is our nonna Rosa.” Carina said, making the introduction.

“Buona sera, signora.” Maya uttered immediately, hoping with all her heart that she had remembered the expression right. And, also, that she had not botched the pronunciation altogether. Fortunately, the surprised look Carina gave her, told her that she had done a good job. It made her feel proud of herself.

“Buona sera anche a te, Maya.” nonna Rosa said. “Ma, perché non mi hai detto che parla italiano? **(Why haven’t you told me that she speaks Italian?)** ” she then asked, looking at her granddaughter, and Maya could tell that _nonnina_ Rosa was more than a little surprised, as well.

“ _Perché’ non lo parla._ ” Carina replied. “ _O almeno così credo_. _Pero_ , _ha imparato qualche frase._ ” She looked at Maya. “My nonnina wants to know why I haven’t told her that you speak Italian. And, I’ve told her that you don’t speak it, or at least, that I think that you don’t; but that you do know a few phrases.”

“Io non parlare italiano, signora. **(I not speak Italian.)** ” Maya said, looking at _nonna_ Rosa. She suddenly felt emboldened.

The elderly woman smiled. “Sei proprio carina, Maya.” **(You’re really sweet, Maya.)**

Now, Maya gave her a confused smile. “What did she say?” she asked as she looked at her girlfriend. “Why did she mention our names together?”

For a beat, Carina was confused as well - but then, she chuckled. “She didn’t.” she said.

“What do you mean – she _didn’t_? She said something-something and then _Carina_ and _Maya_.” Maya insisted.

“She said you were sweet.” Carina said. Maya’s confusion grew, as did Carina’s smile. “ _Carina_ means _pretty_ , _sweet_ , or _nice_ in Italian.” she explained.

“Are you serious?!” the blonde returned on instinct. “How is it possible that I did not know about this until now?!”

“I don’t know.” Carina shrugged. “I guess it has never come up before.”

Maya shook her head, smiling.

“Beh, vi lascio riposare adesso. **(I’ll let you rest now.)** ” Carina’s grandmother said, and both Carina and Maya turned their attention to Carina’s phone again. _“Io vado a preparare la colazione. Ne parliamo di più domani quando ti riposi un po’._ _Piacere di conoscerti Maya.”_

Once again, as she heard her name, Maya looked at Carina, who said: “She says she is going to go make breakfast, that we will talk more tomorrow, and that it was a pleasure meeting you.”

“Oh, tell her – likewise!” Maya said with an earnest smile.

“ _Dice che è stato un piacere anche per lei_.” Carina translated.

“Va bene, tesoro mio, a domani allora. Ti voglio tanto ma tanto bene. Sogni d’oro! **(Alright, sweetheart, until tomorrow then. I love you so much! Sweet dreams!)** ” nonna Rosa said.

“Ti voglio bene anch’io, nonnina! Tantissimo! **(I love you, too! So much!)** ” Carina returned as, once again, her tears threatened to fall.

She saw her grandmother stand up and she heard her say to her brother - “ _La colazione sarà pronta fra dieci minuti. Non dimenticare di lavarti le mani prima di venire a tavola.”_

She waited until her _nonna_ left their earshot, before she started laughing. She looked at Maya. “She has told Andrea that breakfast will be ready in ten minutes, and she has also told him not to forget to wash his hands before he comes to the table.”

“You go ahead and laugh, but I am about to eat _i pizzicotti alle mandorle_ and drink nonnina’s _caffelatte_.” Andrew remarked with a smirk.

“I hate you!” Carina promptly retorted.

_“TI voglio bene anch’io sorellina!”_

“Nonnina has made _i pizzicotti alle mandorle_ \- almond cookies of sorts – which are incredibly tasty and were one of our favorite treats growing up.” she explained to Maya. Then, she looked back at her brother. “And, why didn’t you tell me that you were going to nonna’s?” she asked with more than a hint of accusation in her tone.

“I told you already – I honestly didn’t know I was gonna come here. I really was planning on going to Milano and then Toscana; but I had a fight with papà over the phone when I spoke to him; and after that, I decided to change my itinerary completely and come here.”

Carina could easily relate. “Still, you could’ve sent me a text, at least.” she pointed out tellingly.

“I only arrived here yesterday evening, local time, Cari. Ti guiro!” Andrew said sweetly. “C’mon, don’t be mad at me. You want me to bring you something? Aside from Nutella, that is?”

Carina’s expression softened. “A few _pizzicotti_ would be nice - provided they survive the trip and pass through Customs.”

“I’ll do my best!” her brother said. Then, he turned his attention to Maya, who had been silent over the past few minutes. “Hey, Maya!”

“Hey, Andrew!” the blonde returned with a smile.

“Sorry we’ve been talking so much, but I’m afraid that’s something you’re gonna have to get used to.” he only half-joked.

“Oh, it’s no problem. I love listening to Italian – it sounds amazin’!” Maya said, and meant it.

Andrew smiled. He wanted to say something else, but decided against it – for now. “So, you’ve met our nonnina.” he said instead.

“I have.” Maya nodded, smiling.

“And, what do you think?”

“She seems awesome!” Maya replied sincerely. “Even just virtually. I can definitely see why Carina loves her so much.”

Carina smiled in response, taking Maya’s hand with hers and interlacing their fingers.

“We both do. She always used to spoil us so much when we were kids.” Andrew remarked.

Carina’s smile grew at the memories. “She really did.” she nodded as she looked at Maya, who was smiling back. Then, the brunette looked at her phone again. “By the way, Andrea... While I guess I can understand why you didn’t inform me of your changed itinerary, you really should have sent me a message that you were planning on FaceTiming me with nonnina.”

“Well, she wanted to surprise you.” her brother shrugged and then grinned. “I hope I didn’t interrupted anything, though!”

“Oh, just go eat!” Carina retorted, making a face at her sibling, while Maya grinned as well.

“I will. But, first… At what time does the bidding start?”

Carina rolled her eyes. “8AM, I think.”

“So, 5PM here… OK.”

“Oh, Dio… Please, tell me you won’t spend the entire time staring at the webpage.”

“Of course not. I’ll just give it a glance or two, occasionally. Buona notte, sorellina, e buon divertimento! **(…and have fun!)** ”

“Ciao, Andrea!” Carina returned. “E vai piano coi _pizzicotti_ … Sai che quelli ingrassano, e non credo che sarebbe opportuno ingrassare _prima_ della cena! Non si sai mai!” **(Be careful with the pizzicotti. You know that they fatten, and I don’t think it’d be a good idea to gain weight _before_ the dinner! You never know!)** she teased.

Now, Andrew made a face at her, but did not comment. “Bye, Maya. Night!” he said instead.

“Bye, Andrew!” Maya returned, feeling just a touch of melancholy as she watched the easy-going interaction between Carina and Andrew, even if she understood only parts of it. The way they were connected, in spite of having spent most of the growing up apart - she had always missed that with her own brother.

As the call ended, Carina put her phone down on the coffee table.

“You OK?” Maya asked softly...

…as the brunette sat back and looked at her. “Yes, I am.” she nodded, and Maya could tell it was the truth. “I miss my nonna, but I’m happy I was able to FaceTime with her. And, I really hope that Andrea manages to convince her to start using a cellphone.”

“Maybe now that she has seen you like this, she changes her mind about technology.” Maya offered. Carina had mentioned that her grandmother was a firm believer in landlines, and pretty much against all modern technology.

“Yeah, maybe.” Carina nodded, hoping it would indeed be the case. “It would be really nice. We could talk more often that way.”

“How long has it been since you last saw her? I think you said a little over two years, right?” Maya asked.

Carina nodded again. “Sì. The last time I was in Italy, I’d spent a few days at her place.” She paused for a few instants. Then, she spoke again. “Maybe for our next vacation we could visit her together?” she offered cautiously.

Maya’s heart missed a beat at the suggestion. “Maybe we could.” she said with a small smile. “But, wouldn’t it be a little weird if, out of all of your friends here, you decide to bring _me_ with you? I mean…”

“Well, no… Not really. She knows we spend a lot of time together. I talk about you often. I mean, you were the first person she had thought of when I'd said I’d be spending the day with friends. She remembered that you were a firefighter, and I am sure she would have remembered your name too if I hadn’t said it first. And…” she took a quick breath and laced her fingers through Maya’s, again. “If this idea with the cellphone and FaceTime works out - and if it’s OK with you - I would like to tell her that we are together.”

Maya’s heart missed another beat. “Really?!”

“Really.” Carina reiterated, her voice certain. Maya’s response to her grandmother’s request to meet her via FaceTime was what had made the brunette’s decision final. “I love you, Maya, and I really hate that she doesn’t know that, yet. It’s time that she found out.”

“Are you sure? I mean, telling her something like this will probably come as a shock to her, and doing it over FaceTime even more so.” Maya mused.

“I know.” Carina assented. She was a little worried about her grandmother’s reaction, but after tonight, she decided that not telling her was even worse. “But, despite her distrust of modern technology my nonnina has always been surprisingly open-minded, and Andrea and I have always had her support. And, I think… I hope… that this time won’t be any different.”

“I hope so too, because she really seems awesome… But, I mean, you’ve never mentioned it to her before...”

“No, I haven’t because - as I’ve told you before – somehow, it never felt right telling her. I mean, she had never even met any of the people I had dated before. I might have mentioned one or two, but nothing more than that. But, now it’s different.”

“Why?” Maya asked, suddenly unable to keep the smile off her face – the uncertainty all but gone.

Maya and Carina had been in a relationship for a little over six months, and they were both aware of how they felt about each other. However, it was at that moment that they both sensed a further shift in their relationship. A shift toward something even more meaningful and precious; toward something much, much deeper – toward something permanent.

“Because, now it’s _you_. And I have never felt about anyone the way I feel about you, bella!” Carina said in response to her girlfriend’s question, looking deeply into her eyes.

Maya’s heart soared. Too overwhelmed to speak, she leaned in and kissed Carina deeply, hoping that the kiss would convey all what she was currently unable to put adequately into words.

Possibly minutes later, as the oxygen became absolute necessity, and their eyes met again; Maya rasped breathlessly: “I love you too, Carina. More than anything!”

“And, that’s why I’m sure that everything is going to be fine.” the Italian returned, beaming.

The next few moments, or maybe minutes, they sat in silence, looking at each other and savoring the moment. Suddenly, though, Carina stifled a yawn. Maya chuckled.

“I think it’s time for bed.” she said.

“I think so, too.” the brunette returned, suggestively.

“To _sleep_ , Carina.” Maya clarified.

“Actually, I had something different in mind.” The Italian remarked.

“I bet you did, babe, but it is going to have to wait until tomorrow morning.” Maya said, admiring her willpower, since she, too, had ideas other than sleeping in mind.

“But, why?!” Carina all but whined…

…and Maya almost gave in. However, once again - much to her credit - she had managed to resist the temptation. She took a deep breath. “Because we’ve both had a loooong few days and we need the rest.” They really did. “And, also, because I’ve just met your grandmother a few minutes ago; and honestly, it would feel weird somehow... I don’t know...”

Carina laughed earnestly. “It would feel weird sleeping with me because you’ve met my nonnina via FaceTime?!”

“Kinda, yeah.” Maya admitted, blushing ever so slightly…

…making Carina melt. However, the brunette still could not resist countering. The opportunity was just too good to pass up. “OK, so, what exactly does this mean for us when we go visit her on vacation?” she challenged. “Absolutely no touching and/or PDA allowed?” She could see her words had an immediate impact on the blonde.

‘ _Damn, she’s got a point! You really have got to think this through, Bishop!’_ Maya thought to herself. “I don’t know, Carina.” she said out loud. “And, I sure as hell don’t want to think about that right now. Right now, all I want to do is go to bed, cuddle with you and sleep.”

Smiling, the Italian gave her a quick peck on the lips. “Alright, bella, let’s go!”

A few moments later, they were on their way to Carina’s bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos and likes. :)
> 
> Wish you all a great weekend!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story continues with a walk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday, everyone! ;)

The following morning, Maya opened her eyes to find Carina looking at her, smiling. “Mornin’.” she uttered sleepily, instinctively returning the smile.

“Buongiorno, amore!” the brunette said adoringly and Maya’s smile grew.

“How long have you been watching me sleep?” she asked. In the past, she used to think that people watching other people sleep - for no good reason - was weird, and to awake to somebody watching her sleep would have made her skin crawl. But, not anymore. Not with Carina. And especially not because she had been known to do the same thing to the brunette.

“Not long. A few minutes.” the Italian replied.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” It rarely happened that Maya slept longer than Carina. Usually it was the other way around. 

“I didn’t want to. We both have the day off today and you were sleeping so peacefully.” Carina said.

Maya sifted slightly, so she could run her hand through Carina’s hair. “What time is it?” she asked.

“A little before 9.”

“Seriously?!” the blonde uttered, genuinely surprised. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve slept so late!”

“It’s like you said yesterday – we needed the rest. And, now that we are rested, we can do other things.” the Italian remarked suggestively as she moved closer to Maya and kissed her.

The blonde promptly reciprocated, at least at first, but then suddenly, she pulled back. “The auction.” she uttered, slightly out of breath.

“What?!” Carina frowned, momentarily confused by Maya’s actions.

“The dinner-auction. It should have started already.”

As Carina realized what Maya was talking about, she made a face at her that spoke volumes. She was not at all happy with this sudden development. That “auction” was the last thing on her mind at that moment.

Maya, however, seemed unfazed. “C’mon, I wanna see how my girlfriend is doing, and by how much she is beating all the other doctors and hotshots. Do you have the password?”

Carina sighed, and shaking her head, reached for her phone that was on her nightstand. She had received a message with both the website for the auction and her password, so she quickly accessed it. She saw that the bidding had been well on the way already. Scrolling through the names of the doctors and staff that had entered, she smiled – her baby brother was not doing badly at all.

“What?” Maya asked as she noticed her smile. “You’re doing well, aren’t you?” she remarked as she moved closer to take a look at the phone.

“I don’t know.” Carina replied. “I haven’t looked at mine yet. It’s Andrea’s.”

“Well, this should make him happy.” Maya noted as she saw the current bid on the dinner with Carina’s brother.

“Sì.” the brunette agreed.

“OK, now, let’s see you.”

Another sigh from Carina, but she did what Maya wanted. A few beats later, her eyebrows shot up in surprise. “ _Ma, questo è ridicolo!_ Who would pay this much money to go to a dinner with a stranger! _Non lo capisco proprio_ … I don’t understand it!”

She honestly did not. Her girlfriend, on the other hand, understood it perfectly. Not the-dinner-with-a-stranger-part, so much as the-dinner-with-Carina-part.

“I told you so!” she quipped, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Not even an hour into the bidding, dinner with Carina ranked second, and the amount offered for it was definitely no chump change. It made Maya incredibly proud – though she never doubted it would be this way – but also, just a little jealous because she had noticed the photo of the person currently holding the highest bid. However, she decided to keep that second part to herself because she knew it was completely unfounded.

“But, it doesn’t make any sense... I mean, I’ve never even met this person!” Carina mused as she looked at the picture of the current highest bidder.

“Well, he’s obviously heard about you. And, he is quite the looker.” Maya remarked, trying her best to sound nonchalant about it. “Click on his name to see where he works.”

“I don’t care where he works, Maya. He is a doctor, that’s all I need to know.” Carina deadpanned; her voice dangerously close to sounding annoyed.

“But, you’ll have to find out eventually. I mean, it will be awkward if he pays all this money to have dinner with you and you don’t even know where he works.” the blonde insisted.

“I’d rather just wait until the bidding is officially over, thank you!” Carina said as she put her phone back on her nightstand. “Right now, I have much more interesting things on my mind…”

“Really? Like what?!” Maya returned, showing off her dimples - Carina’s face now, once again, only mere inches from hers.

“Oh, I don’t know… Maybe something like this…” the Italian said as brushed the blonde’s forearm with her fingertips, causing Maya to close her eyes on instinct. “Or this…” she kissed her. “Or, maybe a shower… We did just wake up, after all.”

Maya grinned. “And, how about all of the above?”

Some two hours, or so later, they were walking along the beach. They both loved the beach and the ocean; especially Carina who said that being near the ocean made her feel a little closer to Italy. She did not really miss Italy all that much; what she missed were a few people she knew growing up – most of all, her grandmother – and the sea. She missed the sea very much. So, after the shower and breakfast, they had decided to go for a walk on the beach. It was a nice, sunny day and it was the perfect choice.

“ _E’ veramente bellissimo_ … It’s really beautiful!” Carina said, inhaling deeply as she walked hand in hand with Maya.

“No argument here.” Maya returned with a smile. “You really love the beach, don’t you?”

“I do.” Carina nodded. “And, the sea. It reminds me of the time spent at my nonnina’s house. I was the happiest there. Until now, that is.” she offered adoringly.

Stopping them both, Maya kissed her sweetly. “Likewise, babe!”

The brunette smiled. They resumed their walk. “You know, it was my nonnina who taught me to swim.” Carina remarked.

“Really?! That’s nice. I know I’ve said it yesterday, already - but she really seems awesome!”

“She is. And, she likes you, too.”

“You think?”

The Italian nodded. “I do. And, I can’t wait for you two to meet in person.”

“‘ _I hope she still likes me the same when she finds out that I am not just your friend, but also your girlfriend’_. Maya thought mutely. However, she decided to keep her fears about that to herself. “Me too.” she said instead, and it had not been a lie.

Carina smiled at her. “Anyway… My mamma was never much of a sea-person and my papà never liked visiting my nonnina, so she was the most obvious choice.”

“My father was the one who taught me. Although, it wasn’t much of a teaching process as it was yelling and berating.” the blonde said, her voice laced with bitterness.

“Mi dispiace, bella.” Carina offered earnestly. She could relate pretty well to Maya’s relationship with her father. She had also made a mental note to look up the word ‘berating’ later because she did not want to ask Maya about it now. Although, she could already tell it was not a positive word.

“It’s OK. It’s not like you’ve had better luck, either.” Maya said meaningfully in response.

Carina thought about her words. “I suppose you’re right. But, by what you’ve told me, I did have more contact with other people, and a slightly better support system.”

“Still, we’ve both been dealt a pretty bad hand in the parents department.” the blonde noted.

Carina smiled in understanding. “Fortunately, we’ve managed to turn out pretty well, I think.”

Maya smiled mischievously. “Well, you certainly did!”

“As did you, bella!”

They stopped again and another kiss followed. Then, they resumed their walk, but before long, they stopped again.

“Why don’t you check on the bidding?” Maya suggested…

…making Carina huff in frustration. “Maya!” she practically exclaimed, letting go of the blonde’s hand; her annoyance clear.

“What?! I’m curious!” Maya shrugged. And, maybe just the tiniest bit jealous – but she was determined to do her best to ignore that part.

“Well, I am not!” the Italian returned. “So, is this how it is going to be until the bidding is over? You asking me to check on it every hour?!”

Maya shrugged again. “You would be just as curious if I was the one in it.” she stated matter-of-factly, and the look on the brunette’s face told her that she was right.

Carina made a face at Maya, because she knew the blonde was right – she definitely would. But, under the circumstances, the fact that her girlfriend was so insistent on this – irked her more than a little. “Fine!” she conceded, taking her phone out of her pocket. “But, I still want to limit the number of views.”

Maya thought about the brunette’s words for a moment. “Fine. Five per day.”

Carina nodded. “Va bene.”

As she proceeded to check the current state of affairs, she frowned – the bid on the dinner with was up $150 since the first time they checked. And, it was from another bidder.

“Do you know him?” Maya asked her.

“I’ve seen him once or twice at a conference, but we’ve never formally met.” Carina replied.

“Well, you may get your chance.” the blonde said – she couldn’t resist. Carina shot her a look. “Oh, c’mon, babe, don’t be like that! You can’t honestly tell me that you didn’t expect people to bid on a dinner with you.”

“I did.” she admitted. “But, I didn’t think it was going to be this much money!” She put her phone back into her pocket.

“Well, you’ve said it yourself – the equipment and the work you guys want done at the hospital, does cost a lot of money. And, besides…” Maya said as she reached for the brunette’s free hand and interlaced their fingers again. “A dinner with you is worth much more than any of them could pay!”

Carina melted on the spot. “Non è giusto… It’s not fair! I can’t be mad at you when you say things like that!”

Maya showed off her dimples. “Good. Because I don’t want you to be mad at me. Besides, look at it from the bright side – with that much money spent – you are bound to have dinner at some fancy restaurant where, under normal circumstances, you’d have to wait months before you could even get a table.”

“But, I don’t want to have dinner at a fancy restaurant with some stranger!” Carina returned. “I want to have fries and mozzarella sticks at our favorite place with you!”

Maya swallowed hard. “Now, who’s not fair?” she said just before she before she closed the distance between them in a breathtaking kiss.

Unfortunately, the kiss was way too short for either of their liking – it was abruptly interrupted by Maya’s phone. “You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me?!” the blonde breathed out. “Why do we keep getting interrupted by phones?!”

“Well, not always. We didn’t get interrupted this morning.” Carina quipped.

Maya gave her a look as she took out her phone. “It’s the Station.” she said, instantly frowning slightly. “ _Yeah, Andy… What’s up?”_ she said as she answered the call. _“What maintenance reports?... Well, why can’t that wait until tomorrow?… Alright, fine, I’ll be there in a little under an hour.”_

“You have to go to the Station?” Carina asked rhetorically – she already knew the answer.

“Unfortunately. I have to sign some maintenance reports for the trucks. But, it shouldn’t take long.” Maya said, disappointment evident on her face.

“Non ti proccupare, bella. You go do what you have to. I’ll go back to my place and see if I can FaceTime with my nonnina again… Of course, I’d probably have to listen to Andrea talk about the bidding as well; but what can you do?”

Maya smiled. “OK, I’ll walk you.”

Carina shook her head with a smile of her own. “No need, amore… I’m a big girl. Besides, it’s about the same distance from here to the Station as it is to my place, but in opposite directions. So, it wouldn’t really make much sense for you to walk me home and then walk back all the way to the Station.”

Carina had a point, but Maya still would have gladly done it. “You sure?”

The Italian nodded. “I am. You just come back to my place when you finish – I’ll be waiting.” she remarked suggestively with a wink.

“Freakin’ maintenance reports!” Maya muttered under her breath.

Carina’s grin widened before she leaned in and kissed Maya sweetly. “I’ll see you soon! Ti amo!”

“I love you too, babe! See you soon!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading, comments & kudos.
> 
> Have a great weekend! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story goes on...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy October, everyone! :) Hope everyone is well.
> 
> I was gonna post this tomorrow, but I figured a new chapter would be a nice way to start a new month so - here it is!
> 
> I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, hope you enjoy it as well. (Btw: this fic is already the longest one I've written so far hehe)

Maya entered the Station House some twenty-five minutes later. Her intention was to go straight to her office, but she stopped short when she noticed Andy, Warren and Vic in the Beanery. They were gathered around a tablet, and Maya was sure she knew why. She frowned.

“Let me guess - you’re checking on the auction?” she said as she entered.

“We took a little break, and Warren wanted to give it a glance.” Andy returned.

“I see. And if Warren wanted to give it a glance, why are you two looking at it, exactly?”

“You’re kidding, right?” Vic deadpanned. “Have you seen some of those doctors?! Moments like these, I wish I’d gone to medical school.”

“Whatever.” Maya said dismissively. “Where are the maintenance reports?”

“There aren’t any.” Andy stated matter-of-factly.

Instantly, Maya’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Excuse me?!”

“We had to find an excuse to bring you here. That seemed like the most convincing one.”

“Are you kidding me?! You’ve dragged me here on my day off under false pretenses?!”

“You want to take Carina to that dinner, but you can’t participate; right?” Andy asked calmly, completely unfazed by her friend’s consternation.

‘ _Even if I could, I wouldn’t stand a chance - not with what I’m making!’_ Maya thought to herself as she uttered aloud: “What are y..?”

“Just answer – yes or no.” Andy interjected.

“Well yes, obviously.”

“Good. Then, we may have a solution. Or, more precisely, Warren does.”

Maya looked from Andy to Warren, a silent question implied. 

“One of the bidders on the dinner with Dr. DeLuca is an old collage buddy of mine, and we still play golf together. And, since I beat him almost every time, he owes me a few lunches.” Warren explained.

“And?” Maya said, still not completely sure where this was going.

“And, if you want, I can ask him to pass up the dinner so you can go instead.”

“And, what makes you think that he would go for it?” Maya returned with a frown.

“Because it’s quite a few lunches that he owes me, and or a few other things as well.” Warren remarked.

“And you would waste that credit on _me_?!” Maya uttered, more than a little surprised. She had made tremendous progress in terms of earning her Team’s trust compared to when she was first made Captain – and, yes - Warren had been with them the shortest, but still – she was surprised. 

“It wouldn’t be a waste, Captain. I would be glad to do it.” Warren offered with a warm smile.

“But, why?” Maya was still confused.

“Because, you’ve been a great Captain to me from day one. You’ve made me feel like a member of this House. And not to mention that, without you help and input, the PRT would still be just a dream.”

Maya was moved. She never thought that being a good Captain - a Captain that cares about her people - should be something she should be thanked for. It was something she considered to be a part of her job - and her duty - as the person in charge.

“Thank you, Warren. I appreciate your saying that, but you are the one who has earned that PRT.”

“Maybe, but without the proper support, it would have taken much longer for me to get it.” Warren countered.

Maya smiled in response.

“So, what do you say, Captain?” Warren asked.

“Well, I don’t know…” Maya returned. “I mean, I appreciate the offer, but wouldn’t it be like cheating? I mean, I am a complete outsider.”

Even when it came to things like these, she was not willing to let go of her integrity – not without a fight at least.

Warren shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t think of it like that. I think of it as making the best out of the available loopholes.”

Maya laughed as did Andy and Vic. “You know Warren, I’ve always pegged you for the _by the book_ kinda guy.” his Captain said. 

“What can I say - I have my moments!” Warren quipped with a smile of his own. “So, what do you say?”

“But, your friend is not the only bidder. There is one more.” Maya mused.

“There are five more, actually.” Vic chimed in.

“What?!” the blonde all but exclaimed. “There were only two, less than an hour ago!”

“Well, that’s what you get when you’re dating someone who looks like a supermodel!” the Vic quipped; and instantly, Maya shot daggers at her – even though she knew she was right. “What?! I’m just sayin’…!” the brunette shrugged nonchalantly. “Plus, that doctor friend of Ben’s looks like a freakin’ movie star himself. I mean, its Math 101 – good-looking people attract other good-looking people. I mean, not that you don’t look good, too, but…”

Maya made a face at her and then sighed. Despite the smallest hints of jealousy, she truly had no problem with Carina going to that dinner – she trusted her implicitly and completely. But, _dang_ did she want to be the one to go with her, instead!

Then, suddenly, she realized something. “But, wait, if there are multiple bidders – how do you know that your friend’s bid will ultimately end up being the highest one?”

“I am confident that it will be.” Warren said. “He is the Head of Thoracic Surgery at Hopkins and he has a large trust fund – money is no object.”

“OK. But, even if money is no object, it’s still his money.” Maya countered. “And, he will have already paid for dinner, and quite a lot.”

“Yes, well, that’s where the rest of us come in.” Andy chimed in, giving her friend and Captain a knowing look.

For a beat, Maya was confused. But, only for a beat. “Oh, hell no!” she exclaimed adamantly as she realized what her best friend and fellow firefighter was saying. “There’s no way I’m gonna let you guys pay so I can go to dinner with my girlfriend! No way!” She was not going to allow that. She had her pride and she would pay for the dinner herself.

“Maya…” Andy sad calmly. “Have you seen the amount of the current bid for the dinner?”

The blonde nodded. “Yeah… It’s pretty steep.”

Andy picked up the tablet and handed it to her friend.

Mere instants later, Maya gasped in disbelief. “Are you kidding me?! That’s more than my month’s salary!” _‘Not that Carina isn’t worth every dime and so much more!’_ she quickly thought to herself. She had also noticed that the guy from this morning –Warren’s friend, no doubt - was in the lead again.

“You see why we want to help you?” Andy remarked meaningfully. “And, there are still… what… two days left to go. Don’t worry, though. Even though we’ll all chip in, you’ll still be the one who’ll have to give the largest amount to refund the guy.”

“It feels like a handout.” Maya mumbled, loud enough for everyone to hear as she looked down.

For a few moments, there was silence. And, not exactly a comfortable one. Maya understood what her Team was trying to do, and she was grateful; but she also knew that she could not accept it – she was simply too proud for that. And Andy, Warren, Vic - and the others - really wanted to help because they all cared about Maya – or at least, respected her – but, they also understood her reluctance.

Suddenly, Andy smiled. “Alright, how about this… We help you as much as we can, and you pay us all back, little by little, until the whole amount that we put in is paid for?”

Instantly, Maya’s expression changed. “That could work, yes. But, we put it all in writing.” she said.

“We could have it notarized as well, if it’ll make you feel better!” Andy quipped.

“Very funny.” the blonde deadpanned, making a face at her friend.

“Alright, so is that a _yes,_ then?” Warren asked again.

Maya nodded. “Yes.”

“Well, finally!” Vic exclaimed.

“But, not a word of this to Carina, or outside the Station.” Maya warned, looking at all three of them. “Make sure everyone one else knows that, as well.” She knew that, if Carina found out, she would insist on paying for it herself - or at least for the half of it -and Maya would not have that. “Have you talked with your friend, yet?” she asked as she looked at Warren again.

“No. I wanted to talk with you, first. But, I’ll text him in a bit.”

The blonde nodded. Then, once again, she remembered something. “But, what if he decides to drop out of the bidding and someone else outbids him?”

“Don’t worry, Captain. He won’t.” Warren returned reassuringly, and for some reason, Maya was inclined to believe him. “Besides, he’s currently in the lead again, so...”

Maya nodded. “OK. Thank you.” she then said, looking at all three of them again before asking: “So, does everyone know? And, speaking of which - where the hell _is_ everybody?” She frowned again as she suddenly realized that the Station was unusually quiet.

“Montgomery and Gibson went to take a cat down from a tree, and everybody else is outside, waiting for this conversation to finish.” Andy replied.

Maya let out a frustrated groan. “Great! So, everybody _does_ know!”

“It was bound to happen.” her best friend shrugged. Then, she winked at her. “But, look at it this way - if someone gets too carried away, you know with the teasing and all – you can always pull rank and have them assigned to toilet duty.”

“Don’t go giving her ideas!” Vic quipped and they all laughed.

After Carina returned home from the beach, she decided to start preparing lunch. She did not know how long Maya would be at the Station, but she assumed it would not be too long. She decided to make mushroom risotto because she knew Maya liked it very much. Once the preparations were over, and the dish was cooking, she decided to FaceTime Andrew and see if she could talk with her grandmother.

For a moment, she thought about waiting for Maya to come as well, but since she did not know when exactly that would be, and most importantly, how her grandmother would take the news, she decided it would better if she did it while she was alone. She looked at the time – 12:45 PM, which meant that it was 9:45 PM in Italy, and a good chance that her grandmother had not gone to sleep, yet.

She picked up her phone, took a quick, breath and opened the app. It did not take long for her brother’s face to appear on the screen. “Ciao, Andrea!” she said.

“Ciao, Cari! Have you seen the bidding? I am currently fourth - behind Jackson Avery.” he said, smiling widely. “And, you… I gotta say – _complimenti_!”

Carina sighed. At this point, she was seriously regretting having entered the auction in the first place, and she honestly could not wait for it to be over. “Yes, Andrea, I’ve seen it, but I really don’t want to talk about it right now.”

“Perché’ no? Dovresti essere orgogliosa di te stessa, sorellina.” **(Why not? You should be proud of yourself.)**

“Ma, lascia perdere, per favore!” **(Just give it a rest, please!)**

“But, why?” her brother wanted to know. “Did you and Maya have a fight over it?”

“No, Andrea, we didn’t have a fight over it.” Carina replied annoyed. “I just think that the whole thing is completely unnecessary… But, anyway, I didn’t call you to talk about that. I called because I wanted to talk with nonna, if she hasn’t gone to bed yet.”

“No, she’s still up. She’s watching some variety show on TV. Wait, I’ll go to her.” Andrew stood up and started walking…

…but Carina’s voice stopped him. “Aspetta un attimo.” she said. **(Wait a second.)**

“Che c’è?” **(What is it?)**

“Did you manage to convince her to start using a cellphone?”

“Actually, I’ve made considerable progress.” he stated proudly. “I think she’ll be online and connected long before my return home.”

Carina smiled. “Bravo, Andrea! I’m really glad!” Then, her expression changed. “There’s something else…”

“What?” Andrew said, frowning slightly. Even over the phone, he could tell there was something on his sister’s mind.

“I would like you to leave nonna and I alone to talk.” Carina said.

“Certo.” he nodded, slightly surprised. “Va tutto bene, Cari?” **(Of course.** **Is everything alright?)**

Carina took another deep breath. “I want to tell nonna that Maya and I are together.” She could see her brother was surprised by her words - but to her own surprise - she did not see any sign of worry, or unease.

“Is Maya with you?” he asked.

“No, she had to go to the Station.”

Andrew nodded. A few moments later, he entered their grandmother’s living room. “Nonnina, disturbo?” **(Am I bothering you?)**

“Lo sai che tu non disturbi mai, tesoro. Che c’è?” Nonna Rosa asked with a smile. **(You know you never bother me, sweetheart. What is it?)**

“C’è Cari che ti vorrebbe parlare.” Andrew said. “Tieni. Se hai bisogno di qualcosa, chiama. Va bene?” **(Cari, would like to talk with you. Here… If you need anything, just call me. OK?)** Carina heard him say as he gave their grandmother the phone.

“Sì.”

A few beats later, Carina saw her grandmother’s smiling face come into focus. “Nipotina mia! Come stai?” nonna Rosa said. **(Sweetheart, how are you?)**

“Ciao, nonnina. Sto bene. E, tu?” Carina returned, smiling as well. **(I’m fine. And, you?)**

“Anch’io sto bene. Ti sei riposata?” **(I’m fine, too. Have you managed to get some rest?)**

Carina nodded. “Sì.”

“Bene. Andrea mi ha mostrato la cosa della cena – l’asta.” **(Andrew has shown me the “dinner” thing – the auction.)**

“Oh, Madonna!” Carina exclaimed. “Nonna, possiamo _non_ parlare di questo, per favore?! Non ha assolutamente senso di spendere tanti soldi per una cena, specialmente con uno sconosciuto.” **(Can we, please, _not_ talk about this?! There’s no point in spending so much money on a dinner, especially one with a stranger.)**

“Beh, io non sono d’accordo.” nona Rosa returned. “Quando si tratta dei miei nipoti, nessun prezzo è troppo alto.” **(Well, I disagree. When it comes to my grandchildren, no price is too high.)**

Carina smiled, somewhat warily. But, even though she did not agree with her grandmother’s words, she did not want to contradict her.

“Per _ò_ , va bene… Cambiamo discorso, va’!” nona Rosa accepted. “Che cosa hai fatto oggi? Ti sei già vista con Maya?” **(But, fine. Let’s change the subject.** **What have you done today? Have you seen Maya, yet?)**

Carina frowned. She found it a little strange that her grandmother’s second question was about Maya. However, she decided it was a good opening, even if it had also caused her heartbeat to quicken - and not necessarily in a good way.

“Sì, ci siamo già viste.” she replied. She took a quick breath. “Ed infatti, è proprio di Maya che ti vorrei parlare.” **(Yes, I’ve already seen her. And, as a matter of fact, I would like to talk with you precisely about her.)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Nipotina mia" actually means my "little granddaughter" or "niece", but since it actually serves as a term of endearment here, I translated it as ‘sweetheart’ - because it is more natural to English.
> 
> So... thoughts, comments? Likes, dislikes? 
> 
> I love your feedback, btw. ;)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday, everyone! :) Thank you for all the kudos (more than 250 so far!!) and comments - love all of them! :)
> 
> Here is the new chapter.

“Mi piace proprio, lo sai?” nonna Rosa said. “Si vede che è una brava persona.” **(“I really like her. It’s obvious that she is a good person.”)**

“Sì lo è.” **(“Yes, she is.”)** Carina returned earnestly, unable to hide a smile, despite the palpable nervousness she was now feeling. “Però c’è qualcos’altro su di lei che ti devo dire. Beh, in realtà, non si tratta solo di lei. Si tratta di lei e di me.” **(“But, there’s something else that I need to tell you about her. Well, actually, it’s not just about her. It’s about her and me.”)**

“Va bene, tesoro, dimmi… Che c’è?” her grandmother said. **(“OK, sweetheart, tell me – what is it?”)**

All of a sudden, this no longer seemed like a good idea to Carina. However, she knew it was too late to back out now, so she braced herself, took a quick breath; and uttered: “Lei, non è solo mia amica, è anche la mia fidanzata.” **(“She is not just my friend - she is also my girlfriend.”)**

In the few moments before she had actually uttered those words, a slew of possible reactions from her grandmother raced through Carina’s mind - and regardless of everything else - they all had one thing in common – shock. She expected shock no matter what. She only hoped that it was not going to be too great. However, to her utter surprise and amazement - she did not notice any sign of shock, anger, disappointment, or any kind of negative emotion for that matter.

Instead, what Carina saw was a smile. A genuine, warm, wide smile. Her bewilderment increased further as she heard her grandmother say - “Finalmente!” **(“Finally!”)**

“Come, scusa?!” she blurted out on instinct. **(“Excuse me?!”)**

“Era ora che me lo dicessi!” nonna Rosa offered meaningfully. **(“It’s about time you told me!”)**

“Ma, che vuol dire, scusa?! Tu lo sapevi già?!” **(“What exactly are you saying?! You already knew?!”)** Carina uttered in disbelief – to say _she_ was shocked was an understatement.

“Beh, non esattamente. Cioè’ non lo sapevo, ma lo intuivo.” nonna Rosa replied. **(“Not exactly. I mean, I didn’t _actually_ know it, but I suspected it.”)**

“Ma come, scusa?! Andrea ti aveva detto qualcosa?!” **(But, how?! Has Andrew told you something?”)**

Nonna Rosa shook her head. “No, certo che no.” **(“Of course not.”)**

“Ma allora, come?!” **(“But then… How?!”)** Carina repeated, still not able to believe it completely.

Her grandmother smiled. “Io ho vissuto una lunga vita, nipotina mia, ed ho imparato molte cose. E sono anche sempre stata una persona molto percettiva. E il modo in cui parlavi di Maya, il sorriso che sentivo nella tua voce mentre parlavi di lei… E poi, finalmente, ieri sera quando ti ho visto insieme a lei… Si possono dissimulare molte cose, sai, me la sguardo innamorato - mai!” **(“I’ve lived a long life, sweetheart, and learned many things. Also, I’ve always been a very perceptive person. And the way you’ve talked about Maya, the smile that I can hear in your voice when you talk about her… And then, finally, yesterday evening, when I saw you two together. People can hide many things, but never the look of love when they’re looking at the person they’re in love with!”)**

Carina was stunned. Speechless. Even though she had always known that her grandmother was, indeed, a very perceptive woman, she still had not expected – _this_! She inhaled deeply and went silent for a few moments. Then, finally, she asked: “E, cosa ne pensi?” **(“And, how do you feel about it?”)**

She knew it was a stupid question, but she also knew it would convey what she really wanted to ask. Because while, at that moment, she may not have had enough courage to be more direct, she still needed to know exactly where her grandmother stood on the subject – she needed to _hear_ it. 

Meanwhile, Nonna Rosa’s smile was unwavering. “L’unica cosa che voglio nella vita è la felicità tua e di Andrea. E da quello che ho sentito, e da quel poco che ho visto ieri, è ovvio che Maya ti fa felice. E’ così, no? TI fa felice?” **(“The only thing I want in life is for you and Andrew to be happy. And, from what I’ve heard and seen, it is clear that Maya makes you happy. It’s true, right? She does make you happy?”)**

By now, Carina was crying. ”Sì, è così. Mi fa molto felice… Moltissimo!” **(“Yes, she does! She makes me very happy!”)** she uttered through tears.

Her grandmother’s smile grew further. “Bene. E quindi, se sei felice tu, sono felice anch’io.” **(“Good. Because if you’re happy - I’m happy.”)**

“Grazie, nonnina!” Carina whispered. She had honestly hoped and believed that her grandmother would accept Maya and their relationship, but _this_ went beyond her wildest dreams!

“Non mi devi ringraziare, tesoro mio. Ti voglio bene.” **(“You don’t need to thank me, sweetheart. I love you.”)**

At that moment, Carina heard the front door open…

…followed by Maya’s cheerful voice. “Babe, I’m back!”

“I’m in the living room.” she said in response, her own voice a rasp.

Mere instants later, Maya rushed into the living room; worry etched on her face. However, as she noticed Carina’s huge smile, she relaxed instantly. “What’s going on?” she asked as she walked over to the couch.

“I’m talking to my nonnina.” the Italian replied as she wiped off her tears.

Maya smiled softly and sat down. She was about greet nonna Rosa, but she stopped short when she felt Carina’s fingers intertwine with her own. She looked at the brunette in surprise.

“I’ve told my nonnina about us.” Carina offered in explanation. Instantly, Maya tensed up, but nonna Rosa’s smile - as well as Carina’s smile and especially her words – had quickly made her relax again. “She said she had already suspected it, and that seeing us together yesterday had only confirmed it.” the brunette elaborated. “She has also said that the only thing she wants is for Andrea and me to be happy, and that it is very clear that _you_ make me happy.”

Maya beamed. She was more than a little surprised, but she was also very happy that nonna Rosa had turned out to be an even better person than she had initially thought. “Tell her that you make me happy too. Very happy!” she said to Carina.

The brunette smiled widely at those words. Then, she looked at her grandmother. "Maya dice che anch’io la faccio molto felice a lei.” **(“Maya says that I make her very happy as well.”)**

“Grazie, signora.” Maya then said to nonna Rosa.

“Grazie a te, Maya, e per favore, non dirmi _signora._ ” Nonna Rosa returned. “Dimmi _nonna Rosa_ o _Rosa._ ”

Carina chuckled. “She doesn’t want you to call her _signora._ She wants you to call her either _nonna Rosa_ or _Rosa._ ”

“Alright, then… Grazie _nonna Rosa_.” Maya repeated, her dimples showing. 

“Così mi piece!” **(“That’s better!”)** the elderly woman exclaimed cheerfully.

Suddenly, Maya frowned. “Something’s burning…” she said as she stood up.

“Oh, Dio… The risotto! I completely forgot about it!” Carina gasped. She went to stand up as well…

…but Maya stopped her. “I’ll take care of it. You stay here and talk to nonna Rosa.” she said with a warm smile and immediately went for the kitchen.

“Grazie, amore!” Carina yelled after her.

“Cosa è successo?” her grandmother asked with the smallest of grins. “Hai bruciato il pranzo?” **(What’s going on – burnt lunch?”)**

“Sì.” Carina chuckled. “Me ne ero completamente dimenticata!” **(“I’ve completely forgotten about it!”)**

“Meno male che c’hai una vigile del fuoco in casa!” nonna Rosa quipped. **(Well, it’s a good thing that you have a firefighter at home!”)**

Carina laughed wholeheartedly, earnestly, at that quip. She felt truly happy. However, she also felt the need to say something else to her grandmother. She took a quick breath. “Nonnina, mi dispiace di non avertelo detto prima. Non solo di Maya, ma anche…” **(I’m sorry I haven’t told you sooner.** **Not just about Maya, but also…”)**

“Non ti preoccupare, tesoro. Lo capisco.” nonna Rosa interjected. “E’ tutto a posto.” **(Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. It’s alright. I understand.”)**

Carina swallowed hard. Now, she felt even guiltier for not telling her grandmother sooner, but she knew she was going to have to find a way to let it go. She smiled again. “Ti voglio tanto bene, nonnina!” she said. **(“I love you so much, nonnina!”)**

“Ti voglio bene anch’io, bambina mia!” nonna Rosa returned. **(** “ **I love you, too!”)**

“Everything’s under control, though I’m afraid the risotto is ruined.” Maya announced as she reentered the living room a few moments later.

“E’ tutto a posto, tranne il pranzo.” **(** “ **Everything’s fine, except lunch.”)** Carina informed nonna Rosa. Then she looked at Maya. “I’m sorry, bella. I wanted to surprise you with mushroom risotto.”

“It’s OK, babe.” the blonde returned adoringly as she sat back down on the couch. “Honestly, as much as I love the risotto, I love this other surprise even more!” she went on to remark meaningfully.

Carina smiled brightly. “Well, it wasn’t all my doing.” she pointed out.

“I know. It’s obvious that awesomeness runs in this part of your family.”

Carina laughed again, making Maya’s heart soar. She looked at her phone again. “Volevo fare una sorpresa a Maya – risotto ai funghi - le piace…” **(“I wanted to surprise Maya with mushroom risotto that…”)**

However, she did not get to finish her translation because Andrew came barging into nonna Rosa’s living room. “I passed Jackson Avery - I’m third now, behind you, Cari! Sono al terzo posto adesso, nonnina!” he announced excitedly.

“Oh, Madonna… Ancora con questa benedetta cena! Non ne posso più’ oggi… Veramente!” Carina groaned in frustration. “Ne parliamo domani, va bene, nonnina?” **(“Again with the dinner! I can’t deal with it anymore, today… I really can’t! We’ll talk tomorrow, nonnina. OK?”)**

“Certo, tesoro. A domani!” Nonna Rosa said with a smile. **(“Of course, sweetheart! We’ll talk tomorrow.”)**

“Buona notte nonnina, a domani!” **(** “ **Night!)**

“Buona notte, Maya. A domani!” nonna Rosa then said to Maya…

…and Maya inferred they were saying _goodnight_ so she said: “Buona notte, nonna Rosa.”

However, before she could say anything else, or get any kind of feedback, Carina disconnected the call.

“Why did you end the call so abruptly?” the blonde asked, although she already knew the answer.

“And what do you think?!” Carina all but retorted. “Did you sign the maintenance reports?” she then asked, quickly changing the subject.

“I did.” Maya said, hoping that this little white lie would not come back to bite her later. “So… Your grandmother knows about us.” she went on to note meaningfully.

Carina nodded, smiling. “She does. I hoped she would accepted it, but I never expected this much support and understanding.” Maya smiled as well, and the brunette continued. “I mean, when I came out to my papa’ and mamma, they had not objected, but they had not exactly been supportive, either.”

“Well, that’s why your nonna Rosa is awesome!” Maya offered as cheerfully as she could while trying to hide the inevitable bitterness that came with the memories of her own experience. Her mother had received the news with complete indifference - almost as if she was reading the daily weather report; while her father’s reaction had translated into a further increase of his usual emotional and psychological abuse.

However, despite her best attempt at hiding it, Carina could see right through it. “Bella, what’s wrong?” she asked softly, her chocolate brown eyes looking at her with worry.

Maya shook her head. She did not want Carina to feel bad, ever - and especially not at that moment. “Nothing.” she said. “I just remembered my parents and their reactions - but I’m alright.”

“Are you sure?” Carina asked, looking at her somewhat skeptically.

“I am.” Maya reiterated, her smile much more sincere now.

“OK. But, you know that if you want to talk, bella… I’m here. Always.”

“I know.” the blonde nodded, leaning in for a sweet kiss. “And, thank you. But, I am fine. Honestly. I mean, how could I not be – nonna Rosa likes me!”

Carina smiled brightly again. “Well, you are very hard not to like!” she returned, tellingly.

“Oh, I don’t know about that… I think there may be a few people that would disagree with that.”

“Well, you shouldn’t listen to them, because they are wrong!” Carina remarked as she gave Maya another peck on the lips. “You should listen to people like my nonnina - who not only likes you - but also thinks you’re a great person!”

Maya’s smile widened. Suddenly, the opinion this nice elderly lady had of her, had become even more important to her. “She does?” she said. “Well, in that case, I’m definitely gonna have to learn more Italian to be able to talk with her, at least a little.”

“Well, I’ll be more than happy to teach you.” Carina promptly offered.

“Grazie, babe!” Maya said in response.

“Prego, amore!” the brunette returned as she gave her girlfriend another soft kiss.

“And, speaking of Italian…” Maya then said. “When I left for the kitchen to see what was burning, I heard you laugh loudly at something nonna Rosa said. You mind me asking - what?”

Maya adored Carina’s laugh, especially when she laughed as she had at that instance – earnestly and from the heart.

“My nonnina asked me if I’d burned the lunch, I said _yes,_ and then she said it was a good thing that I had a firefighter at home – that was when I laughed.”

“Well, she is right!” Maya assented, her blue eyes sparkling with joy.

“My nonnina is always right.” the brunette pointed out matter-of-factly. Then, her expression changed a little. “Ever since I was little, she could always make everything better. No matter how bad my day had been, she could always give me comfort.” she sighed melancholically. “You know, when my mamma and Andrea left, I felt really sad. So, I had decided to start saving my allowance money so I could buy a phone, which I would only use to talk with my nonnina. Of course, I had never told my papa’ about this because I knew he would never have allowed it. It had taken me some time, but eventually, I had saved enough and bought it. And from that day on, until the day I left Italy, I had talked with my nonnina every single day. And, it had always made me feel better. I’d just call her when I was free to talk, let it ring three times, and then hang up. Then, she would call me back immediately.” she smiled softly. “She never wanted to answer my calls directly because she wanted me to save my credit for possible emergencies.”

Maya swallowed a lump. She could only imagine how hard those years must have been for Carina. She took the brunette’s hand in hers and kissed it tenderly. “That’s so sweet!”

“I’ve never told anyone this before. It used to be just our little secret - until now.” the Italian noted with a loving smile.

“Thank you so much for sharing it with me, Car! It really means a lot to me.” Maya offered earnestly. With every minute that passed, she loved Carina more.

“You’re welcome, amore! I can’t wait for you two to meet in person.” Carina said.

“You know something? Neither can I.” Maya returned promptly. “I mean, she seemed pretty great from the get go, but after yesterday and today, I gotta say, she’s just - wow!”

“I am really glad you feel that way.” the brunette remarked with a warm smile before she suddenly sighed. “I only wish she were here right now to help us!”

Maya frowned in confusion – suddenly, she was at a loss. What was Carina talking about?! Help them, right now. Help them with what?!

The Italian laughed at the confused look on her girlfriend’s face. Maya looked so adorable when she was trying to figure something out. “Con il pranzo – with the lunch.” she finally said. “Ours is ruined, and I am starting to get a little hungry. And I am sure you are, too.”

The blonde now laughed as well. “Well actually, babe, we don’t need nonna Rosa for that, because I’ve got you covered.” she announced meaningfully as she took out her phone. “There is an easy fix for this one and it’s called - _pizza delivery._ Granted, it may not be the fanciest solution, but under the circumstances - it’ll do just fine!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Cosa ne pensi?” means – “What do you think about (something?)”; but once again, I think it conveys much more if translated - “How do you feel about it?”
> 
> As always, hope you liked it. Let me know what you think.
> 
> Thank you for reading. Have a great weekend!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The auction is over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the kudos and comments – I am floored, and they are greatly appreciated! :) 
> 
> This chapter is one of my favorite chapters overall - not just in this fic, but in all the fics I’ve written so far. I don’t usually say this about my own work, but I’m very happy with the way it has turned out. And, I would really like to get your feedback on it as well – I’m interested to know if it was worth the wait, since I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that this was the chapter many of you have been waiting for. :D

Over the next few days, they had FaceTimed with Italy for at least a few minutes every day, with Carina thrilled because the most recent of these FaceTime sessions had been done on her nonnina’s new smartphone, with nonna Rosa making the call herself – which made the brunette forgive her brother for not telling about his visit beforehand. As far as the other thing - namely the dinner-auction – Carina had tried her best to ignore it, both in and out of work. At home, she had managed to keep things more or less under control, since she had forbidden Maya to mention it outside of the previously established ‘five-times-per-day’ rule, and Andrew to mention it at all. Unfortunately, at work the task of ignoring it had turned out to be much more daunting, since she was one of only a handful of people **not** making a huge deal out of it. There was even an internal betting pool among the staff on which three dinners would end up being the most expensive ones. Needless to say, Carina had not entered the pool, nor had she told Maya about it. Moreover, she had also warned both Andrew and Ben against saying anything to her. Maya, on the other hand, was alternating between feeling “incredibly proud” of her awesome girlfriend, and more than a little worried about the fact that she may have to work overtime for the next six months to pay off the debt.

Then, finally, Friday came and the auction was over - and to Maya’s relief – she had calculated that just one month of accumulated overtime should be enough to pay off her debt to her Team (she was able to cover the rest of the price tag on her own). And, as far as the actual auction results were concerned - as well as the internal betting pool - the three most expensive dinners were dinners with Meredith Grey, Carina, and Avery Jackson, respectively – with Avery winning over Andrew by a margin of “a mere $250”. Andrew was disappointed but not too much, since the fourth place had also brought him dinner with a “hot, blonde intern from Hopkins”, which was “more than great”. Meanwhile, Carina’s dinner-date had, indeed, ended up being Ben’s college friend - the fact that Maya and everyone else had decided to keep a secret from the Italian, who had decided to get the dinner over with as soon as possible - which had turned out to be the following Thursday.

“C’mon, babe, don’t be like that! I’m sure it’s not gonna be that bad. I mean, the guy is the Chief of Thoracic Surgery at Hopkins, after all! He’s gotta be able to maintain, at least, a reasonably interesting conversation.” Maya said, trying her best to keep the grin off her face as she listened to her girlfriend mumble things in Italian over the phone - things she was certain were not exactly G-rated. “And, if nothing else, I do have to admit - he really is easy on the eyes!”

“Well, why don’t _you_ go to dinner with him instead, then?! I mean it, Maya - you have my blessing!” Carina shot back instantly. She was in no joking mood.

_‘Well, because I will gladly pay a fortune to go to dinner with **you** , but I’d have to be crazy to pay even a dime to go to dinner with myself!’ _the blonde thought to herself with a soft chuckle. “Well, because if I show up instead of you, he may ask for a refund, which kinda defeats the purpose of the whole auction thing.” she quipped out loud.

“Fossi in te, starei molto attenta, Maya! Altrimenti potresti finire dormendo da sola stanotte! **(If I were you, I’d be very careful, or you may end up sleeping alone tonight!)** ” Carina retorted in Italian.

“I have no idea what you just said, but I’m gonna go with: ‘I miss you, too, and I’ll see you tonight after dinner’.” Maya returned sweetly.

Despite her best efforts to stay annoyed with her girlfriend, the brunette’s demeanor mellowed instantly. “But, I just want to go to dinner with you. Is that so bad?” she offered lovingly.

Maya beamed and melted at the same time. “Of course not, babe. But, we can go to dinner any other day – and we will. Besides, you know restaurants like that aren’t really my thing.”

Naturally, the Chief of Thoracic Surgery had made the reservation at one of the most exclusive restaurants in Seattle.

“Yeah, like the amount he had already paid to take me to dinner wasn’t enough, now he’s going to spend who knows how much more on the actual dinner!” Carina remarked, not at all happy.

“First of all, babe, at the risk of sounding cliché’ - I’d say money really isn’t an object for guys like him - and secondly, I guess he figures that, all things considered, you’d consider anything less than that a letdown.” Maya noted, perceptively.

“But, I wouldn’t!” Carina promptly countered.

“Yes, **I** know that and **you** know that, but he doesn’t.” the blonde pointed out. “Besides, since you’re going, you’ll able to tell me if this restaurant really is all that it is hyped-up to be.”

“Fine.” Carina conceded unenthusiastically. “But, I can’t wait to see you after!” she quickly added.

“Right back at you, babe!” Maya returned adoringly. “What time is dinner again?”

“6:30. Which means that I have to go get ready.”

“OK. And, I have to get back to work. Have fun, babe! See you later. Love ya!”

“I won’t. See you later. Ti amo anch’io!”

As their conversation ended, the blonde was smiling. Carina was in for a huge surprise and she had absolutely no idea! Grinning from ear-to-ear, Maya put her phone down and went to get ready herself.

About an hour later, Carina was standing outside the restaurant, looking at her watch – 6:42. Her dinner date was running late. Normally, she would not mind a 15-minute delay - they were both doctors, after all. But, she had become so aggravated with the whole auction-thing by the time it was over - that now - she was angry, and more than just a little. Moreover, they had agreed they would meet _outside_ the restaurant. So here she was, pacing back and forth outside one of the most exclusive restaurants in Seattle, waiting for someone she had never met before to have a dinner that she did not want to have. She looked at her watch again – 6:44. She sighed in frustration and took her phone out of her purse. She touched the screen, and a few beats later, she heard a familiar voice.

“Hey, babe! Don’t tell me you stood up and walked away, already.” Maya quipped, a smile audible in her tone.

“No, I didn’t. And you know why I didn’t? Because I haven’t had the chance to **_sit down_** yet! Because **_l’idiota_** still hasn’t come! And I am still waiting!” Carina retorted, angrily.

“Relax, Car, I’m sure the man’s just caught in traffic. Otherwise, he would’ve called to cancel, or something.” Maya pointed out.

“Well, I’m giving him five more minutes. If he doesn’t show up – me ne vado! I’m leaving!” the brunette announced. When she received no reply for a few moments, she frowned. “Maya? Maya, are you there?”

“Yeah, I’m here.” the reply finally came. “Sorry. Look, I’m sure he’s gonna show up any minute now. I mean, he’d have to be downright crazy to stand you up!”

“Grazie, bella!” Carina returned, her voice much softer now; once again wishing she was waiting for Maya and not for some random guy.

“It’s the truth, babe.” the blonde reiterated lovingly. “I mean, look around you. Maybe he’s parking his car at the private parking lot behind the restaurant.”

Suddenly, Carina frowned again. But, this time, it was in confusion. How would Maya know there was a private parking lot behind the restaurant? Granted they had passed by this particular restaurant more than a few times before, but the parking lot could not be seen from the street, and Carina herself had only found out about it because she had seen people coming from that direction entering the restaurant, and so she assumed that was the reason why.

“How…?” she began speaking into the phone as she turned around. However, the rest of her utterance was left unfinished because she noticed a smiling Maya walking toward her. Instantly, her face lit up. “Maya?! What are you doing here?!” she gasped in surprise as the blonde came to a stop in front of her; and Carina, literally, had to stop herself from throwing her arms around her neck and pulling her into a hug.

“I came to take you to dinner.” Maya replied calmly, though her pulse was unusually elevated due to the smile of joy she saw on the Italian’s face. “If that’s alright with you, of course! Oh, and… You look beautiful, by the way!”

“Thank you, amore!” Carina returned, interlacing their fingers. “And, of course it is! It’s now…” she checked the time: “6:56 and my dinner date still isn’t here, which means he has officially missed his chance. I’m done waiting!” she announced resolutely.

Maya smiled widely, her dimples on full display. Carina was still completely oblivious, and it was adorable! “Well, that’s not entirely true, babe.” she countered with a twinkle in her eye.

“What do you mean, ‘ _it’s_ _not entirely true_?!’ the brunette returned, confused again. “What’s not entirely true?”

_‘Absolutely adorable!’_ Maya thought to herself as she uttered out loud: “The fact that your dinner that isn’t here – because she is, and you’re looking at her.”

Carina’s jaw dropped. “ _Cosa_?!” she exclaimed.

_“I_ am your dinner date, Carina!” Maya said, her smile now so big that her face had actually started to hurt a little.

“Tu?!”

Maya nodded mutely. That much of Italian she understood. 

“Però, come…Quando…?! Non capisco…How… I don’t understand!” the brunette stammered, more confused by the second.

“Well, long story short – your dinner date also happens to be Warren’s ex-collage buddy and current-golf-buddy. And, since Warren beats him at golf, pretty much on a regular basis; the good doctor owes him quite a few lunches and a few other favors as well. So, Warren decided to collect on them by asking him to give up on the dinner with you so I could take his place; since technically, I couldn’t enter the bidding. The doctor agreed, and here I am.”

Carina shook her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe it! And he accepted it? Just like that?”

“Well, as I’ve said, he owes Warren many lunches.” Maya chuckled.

“ _Va bene questo_... _Ma_ , what the about the money? I mean, he had already paid for a dinner with me. And now, what - he is just going to forget about it?”

Suddenly, Maya’s expression changed. And this time, Carina caught on instantly.

“Oh, no… Non ci posso credere! Maya, no! You refunded him, didn’t you?! No, assolutamente no! Ma, neanche per sogno, guarda! I won’t let you do that…. That’s a lot of money, Maya. More than you make in almost two months… I want to pay…. At least half… I am not going to let you….”

The rest of the brunette’s word flood, got silenced by her girlfriend’s lips. It was a short, chaste kiss; but it had done the trick - Carina had stopped talking and relaxed a little.

As sparkling blue met twinkling brown again, a few moments later, Maya said: “Babe, listen to me… You and I both know that, if I could’ve entered that bidding the regular way, I would have. But, since I couldn’t - this was the next best thing. And, we both also know that if I had entered it, I would have had the highest bidding – no matter what. So, the way I see it - I would have paid for the dinner, either way.” she pointed out with a smile. “And, as far as the amount goes, I meant what I said the other day – no amount is too much when it comes to you. And there’s absolutely no way that I am going to let you pay for it, not even a dime!”

“But…”

“No, _buts_ , Carina! You’re not paying! End of discussion!” The Italian responded with a pout, which under any other circumstance would have worked and broken Maya’s resolve, but this time, she held firm. “You can pout all you want – I’m not changing my mind!” she reiterated.

Carina was not at all pleased by this and she was adamant to pay Maya back at least half of the amount, as well as to find out more of the details. But, for the time being, she had decided to let the matter go because she was simply too happy to argue. “Fine. I’ll drop it for now, but no matter what you say – this discussion is not over!” she announced meaningfully.

Maya just smiled – she figured as much. She interlaced their fingers, again. “Fine. Now, c’mon. I believe we have a dinner to go to.”

The brunette smiled brightly. But, as they started to walk away from the restaurant, and toward the direction of the parking lot, she frowned in confusion again. “Where are we going?” she asked, but without stopping. 

“I’m taking you somewhere else.” Maya said. “As you can see, I’m slightly underdressed for this place.” Then, suddenly, she stopped; effectively stopping Carina as well. “Unless you wanna stay, of course.” she offered.

Even though she was almost certain that Carina was going to say _no_ , there was also no denying that the brunette looked absolutely stunning in that blue dress of hers and heels - and for a few beats - Maya had seriously entertained the notion of them going back to her place, so she could change into something more appropriate, and then coming back here – despite the potential hassle. As for Carina, it was only when she heard Maya’s suggestion that she realized her girlfriend was dressed casually – way too casually for a place like this: black jeans and boots, white shirt and a grey jacket – **_ammazza_** _,_ she looked hot!

Carina knew that Maya did not like places like these, and while she herself did enjoy them from time to time, she could easily go without them for the rest of her life if it meant making Maya more comfortable. “No, of course I don’t want to stay.” she said matter-of-factly in response to the suggestion. “I didn’t want to come here at all, remember?”

“I do.” Maya nodded. “That’s why I figured you wouldn’t mind leaving.”

“You know me so well, amore!” the Italian uttered affectionately as she leaned in for a quick kiss.

“Just returning the favor, babe!” the blonde remarked with a big smile as they started to walk again.

“But, wait, if you are undressed for this restaurant, won’t I be **_overdressed_** for where we are going?” Carina mused.

Maya shook her head. “No, you won’t. I’ve brought you a change of clothes in the car.”

Now, it was Carina who stopped them. “You want me to change **_in the car_**?!” she returned, raising her eyebrows meaningfully.

Maya smirked knowingly. “Yeah, what’s wrong with that? I mean, it’s not like you’ve never done it before.”

“We were in the woods, Maya, and there was no one around for kilometers!” the brunette promptly countered.

Some two months into their relationship, they had gone on a three-day weekend road trip; which they wowed to repeat at the first opportunity. 

“Yes, well, this is a private parking with no one else around at the moment, and it’s almost dark. I’d say there isn’t that much of a difference.” Maya pointed out.

Carina sighed. “Fine! But, no funny business, Bishop!” she warned, giving her girlfriend a stern look – or more like an attempt at one - since her eyes gave her away. “I don’t want to end up with another bump on the head!”

That bump on the head was one of the many memories they had brought back from the aforementioned road trip.

Maya laughed. “Scout’s Honor, DeLuca! Hell, I’m not even gonna get into the car if you don’t want me to, until you’ve finish changing!”

“No, that would be weird. If people saw you standing next to a car like that, they might get the wrong idea.” Carina quipped, a telling grin on her lips. “You may get in, just make sure you keep your hands to yourself… for now!” she winked at her girlfriend, who promptly flashed her dimples in response.

A few moments later, they came to a stop in front of Maya’s car. “So, where are you taking me then?” the Italian asked.

“How do fries and mozzarella sticks sound?” Maya reciprocated with a question of her own, her smile unwavering.

Carina beamed. She knew exactly where Maya was taking her – their favorite restaurant. “Amazing… Just like you!” she replied adoringly as she leaned in for a sweet kiss.

And, just like that – what was supposed to be a dreaded dinner date, had ended up being the perfect date night!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ammazza – literally, it means something else entirely, but it is often used in a way that can be translated as: “WOW”, ‘hot damn’; etc.
> 
> If it were up to me (and, yes, I AM aware that it actually IS, but still…), Carina would have won the auction by a landslide, but I felt this would be more ‘realistic’, given the fact that Meredith Grey is who she is at GreySloan, so… Hope you won’t hold that against me. ;) I mean, we all know that Carina is the real winner, anyway! :)
> 
> So, what do you think? Let me know.
> 
> Thank you for reading. Have an awesome weekend!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue of sorts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to end this story with the previous chapter, but then, one of the readers wrote they were looking forward to Carina and Maya visiting Italy. So, I decided to write a small Epilogue. HOWEVER, the chapter kinda got away from me and effectively ended up being the longest one of the story hahaha - I hope you won’t mind it, though ;) Oh, and I had so much fun writing this chapter too (especially, some parts of it hehe). 
> 
> Enjoy!

On an early afternoon some four months - and a headache-inducing reshuffling of schedules later - Carina and Maya were in a cab traveling from the airport to nonna Rosa’s house to begin their ten-day vacation.

“Relax, bella. Everything is going to be alright.” the brunette offered lovingly, looking at her visibly nervous girlfriend. “She already loves you. You know that.” she said as she gave Maya’s hand a gentle squeeze.

“FaceTiming with someone is not the same as meeting them in person, Carina.” Maya returned warily. She hated feeling insecure and it irked her to no end.

Carina had to suppress a chuckle. Seeing Maya this nervous was absolutely adorable. “No, you’re right. It’s not.” she nodded in agreement. “It’s even **_better_** when the person they are meeting is **_you_**!”

And, just like that, Maya melted. With her dimples appearing, she leaned in for a quick kiss to Carina’s cheek. “Grazie, babe!” she said, feeling better instantly.

“Prego, amore!” Carina replied, beaming.

A few minutes later, the cab came to a stop in front of a charming little house with a lot of colorful flowers in front of it. Carina smiled brightly. “Here we are.”

Before Maya could reply to that, its front door opened and nonna Rosa stepped out. “You go ahead.” the blonde offered with a smile. “I’ll help Marco with the bags.”

Carina did not need to be told twice. She opened the door and stepped out. “Nonnina!” she exclaimed as she hurried to meet her grandmother.

“Bambina mia!” nonna Rosa said as they hugged.

“Come stai?” Carina asked, several moments later.

Both women were teary-eyed and smiling.

“Molto meglio, adesso che ci sei tu!” **(“Much better now that you are here!”)**

Carina swallowed hard before she looked toward the cab, and Maya, who was standing – a bag in each hand - and watching the interaction between Carina and nonna Rosa; feeling teary-eyed herself. As she saw Carina look at her, she put the bags down on the ground.

“Nonnina, questo è Maya. Maya, this is my nonna Rosa.” the brunette said as the two walked up to Maya. 

“Maya!” Nonna Rosa smiled widely.

Maya was expecting a handshake, but instead, she was enveloped into a warm hug. After a second of hesitation, she returned it with equal enthusiasm.

“Benvenuta, tesoro!” nonna Rosa said. **(“Welcome sweetheart!”)**

“Grazie signora! Piacere di essere qua.” **(“Thank you! It’s a pleasure to be here.”)** Maya returned, hoping she understood and answered correctly. A quick glance at Carina told her that she had.

“Ma, parla proprio bene l’Italiano, eh! **(“She speaks Italian really well!”)** ” Nonna Rosa remarked, looking at her granddaughter.

“Voleva imparare delle frasi in più.” Carina stated proudly. **(“She wanted to learn additional phrases.”)**

“Ma, è proprio brava!” **(“She is really good!”)**

“Nonnina says you speak Italian really well.” Carina explained as she looked at Maya.

“That’s because I have a great teacher!” the blonde returned adoringly.

Carina gave her an instinctive smile. “Dice che è perché ha una buona maestra.” she then said to her grandmother.

Nonna Rosa smiled as she looked at Maya again. “Sei ancora più carina di persona.”

Maya looked at Carina, tacitly asking for another clarification.

“She says you’re even sweeter in person.” the brunette said with a wink. “See? I’ve told you so!”

Maya felt herself blush. “Grazie, nonna Rosa.” she returned, looking at the elderly woman, somewhat sheepishly.

“Non mi devi ringraziare, tesoro. E’ la verità.” Nonna Rosa noted. **(“No need to thank me. It’s the truth.”)**

“Ecco, questa è l’ultima.” **(“This is the last one.”)** Marco, the cabbie, said as he put the last of the suitcases on the ground next to one of the bags Maya had been carrying.

“Grazie, Marco. Adesso, aiutaci a portarle dentro.” Nonna Rosa said. **(“Thank you, Marco.** **Help us bring them in.”)**

“Ma, non c’è bisogno, Marco. Davvero. Grazie. Lo facciamo da sole.” Carina remarked. **(“There’s no need, Marco. Really. Thanks. We can do it ourselves.”)**

“Potete, ma non lo farete.” Nonna Rosa countered. “Vi aiuta lui… Ho fatto dei pizzicotti. Così ne può prendere qualcuno.” **(“You can, but you won’t. He is going to help you. Besides, I’ve made _pizzicotti_. This way, he can have a few.”)**

“Se ci sono dei pizzicotti, allora senz’altro!” Marco said with a smile as he took two of the suitcases and followed nonna Rosa into the house. **(“If there are _pizzicotti,_ I’m more than happy to help!”)**

Maya looked at Carina in confusion. “What’s going on? Why is he carrying our luggage?” The only thing she had managed to grasp from the entire exchange was _grazie._

Carina chuckled lightly. “Because nonnina has asked him to, while also conveniently mentioning that she has made _i pizzicotti;_ and she knows Marco can’t say _no_ to them.”

“So, it’s really true – everyone helps everyone around here.” Maya remarked meaningfully. She remembered Carina telling her as much every time she would talk about this place and her time here.

The brunette nodded. “Pretty much, yes. This has always been a tight-knit community. And, as I have told you, that’s one of the reasons why I’ve always liked it here so much. And I’m so happy that it still hasn’t changed.” she said as she picked up one of the two remaining suitcases. “C’mon. Let’s go inside.”

Twenty minutes later, Carina and Maya were in Carina’s old room unpacking their things.

“If I’d had a view like this from my room growing up, I doubt I’d have gone out much.” Maya said, admiring the scenery from Carina’s bedroom window. The beach and the sea were literally within walking distance.

“I’d always loved it here as well. I still do.” Carina said as walked up to Maya and hugged her from behind. With a content sigh, the blonde instinctively leaned back into her. “But, I doubt you wouldn’t have gone out. You wouldn’t have been able to stay inside for long, and besides, the sea is too close and too good to pass up.” Carina remarked knowingly. 

“That’s a good point.” Maya agreed.

“Are you feeling jet-lagged?” the Italian asked as she put her chin on Maya’s shoulder.

“Strangely, no.” Maya said. “You?”

“No.” Carina replied as she placed a kiss just behind her girlfriend’s ear.

Maya’s eyes closed on instinct and her breath hitched. “Babe, what are you doing?” she asked, suddenly finding it very difficult to concentrate.

“Well, if you have to ask, then I think you may be jet-lagged after all.” the brunette quipped without stopping her actions.

“I’m serious, Carina. Your grandmother is downstairs. And I think Marco, the cabbie, is still here too.” Maya pointed out.

“So?” Carina asked completely unfazed, her actions continuing.

“So…” the blonde returned, forcing herself to turn around and look at her girlfriend, putting some distance between them in the process. “It’s not gonna happen, Carina!”

“What’s not gonna happen, bella?” the brunette teased, amused.

“This… This impromptu make-out session, or whatever it was that you had in mind.” Maya breathed out, noticeably frustrated.

Carina gave her a telling look. “You do realize that we are going to be here for ten days, right?”

Maya swallowed a lump. “Yeah.”

“And, you’re seriously planning on not touching me during all that time?” the Italian asked, now biting the inside of her cheek so as not to laugh at her girlfriend’s terrified expression.

“Well, what do you expect me to do, Carina?!” Maya returned, exasperated. “We are in your grandmother’s house!”

“I expect you to relax, bella.” Carina said calmly as she stepped closer to the blonde once again. “We’re on vacation. We’re supposed to have fun and relax, and not be stressed out.”

“I know, and I’m sorry. But, I just can’t. Not yet, anyway.” Maya said, her frustration even worse now.

Carina nodded. “OK. Then, let’s get changed and go downstairs.”

That took Maya by surprise. She was expecting resistance. Or, at least, disapproval. “Really?! You’re not gonna try to make me change my mind?!”

“Would you like me to change your mind?” Carina challenged.

_‘Of course I would! Not that it would take much convincing to begin with!’_ Maya thought to herself. “No.” she said instead.

“Well, then I won’t.” the Italian returned matter-of-factly. “I’ve just told you – I want you to be relaxed, not stressed out. So, we are going to change and go downstairs to chat with my nonnina and eat _i_ _pizzicotti_.”

While the part about her wanting Maya to be relaxed and stress-free was true, it was also true that Carina knew very well what she was doing. And, she also knew that - eventually - she would end up changing the blonde’s mind. However, for the time being, as a knowing smile appeared in the corner of her mouth, she turned around and continued to unpack her things; leaving a very confused - and extremely frustrated - Maya to do the same.

The afternoon continued with the three of them chatting and catching up (Marco had left by the time Maya and Carina returned downstairs). At some point, Maya had gone outside to explore the area around the house, leaving Carina and nonna Rosa to talk alone. During this talk, nonna Rosa had once again reiterated how happy she was that Carina had come and how glad she was that she had brought Maya with her. Then, came time for dinner – needless to say, nonna Rosa had made enough food to feed a small army and Maya could not resist taking seconds, which made Carina grin. After dinner, Carina had announced that she wanted to take Maya for a walk on the nearby beach. And despite the initial opposition from nonna Rosa - _“because it is dark outside” -_ the two had managed to convince her that it was perfectly safe for them to go for a walk and that she had absolutely nothing to worry about. And, as they were leaving, Carina had asked her grandmother to go to bed because she needed to rest and promised her that they would talk more in the morning and in the coming days - reluctantly, nonna Rosa had agreed.

“It’s really beautiful here. And I don’t mean just the beach and the sea, but also your nonna’s house and what I’ve managed to see around it as well.” Maya said as they walked down the beach, hand in hand, with the last flickers of daylight disappearing in the distance.

“There is plenty more to see around here, bella, and I can’t wait to show it to you.” Carina returned with a smile before she stopped, effectively stopping Maya as well. “Thank you for coming. I am really happy that you’re here with me.” she said adoringly.

“I am happy too, babe. And, thank **_you_** for bringing me.” Maya offered, earnestly. “And, by the way, you were right – the _pizza-thingies_ are **_really_** delicious!”

Carina chuckled. “ _Pizzicotti_.”

“Yeah, no… I’m not gonna try to pronounce it, anymore.” Maya stated as they continued their walk – it was simply too complicated. “And the dinner was super exquisite, too.” she went on to say. “But I’m afraid that, if I continue to eat like this, I may end up gaining quite a bit of weight during this vacation.” she noted - and she was not exaggerating.

“You won’t.” Carina returned confidently with a telling grin. “Because, I know of plenty of ways and activities for you to stay in shape.”

Maya made a face at her, but her eyes smiled.

After a few more steps, the brunette chuckled. “But, I still can’t believe we’ve actually managed to organize our schedules in a way that allows us to have a two-week vacation.”

“Well, if you ask me, it’s the least that GraySloan could do for the doctor that has managed to secure one of the highest amounts at the auction.” Maya remarked. “And, as far as I am concerned, I’m more than certain they won’t miss me too much at the Station. Plus, if I hadn’t started using up some of the personal days I have accumulated, I’m sure that the HR would have made me to pretty soon, anyway.”

Carina sighed. “Remind me never to enter another auction again!”

“But, why not? In the end, it turned out to be a pretty awesome dinner!” the blonde pointed out meaningfully.

“You’re right, bella.” the Italian now nodded as she stopped and leaned in for a soft kiss. “Thank you again for making it possible.”

“You’re welcome.” Maya returned.

“I just wish you’d allowed me to p…”

“No.” Maya interjected promptly. “We’ve made a deal – no more talking about paying!”

It had taken a lot of talking and bribing, but Maya had finally managed to convince Carina to let the matter of the price and paying rest.

“Fine.” the brunette said with a pout – just because she had agreed to it, did not mean that she was also happy with it.

They resumed their walk, and after a few moments, they walked by a woman coming from the opposite direction. There was no one else around but the three of them, but nevertheless, Carina did not bother to look at the woman to see if maybe she knew her.

However, a few beats later, they heard: _“Carina?!”_

They stopped immediately and turned around. Now, Carina looked at the woman. And although it was already dark, the moonlight was strong enough for her to see the woman’s face well. She recognized her instantly.

“ _Chiara_?” she uttered with a smile as stepped forward and they hugged. “Ciao!” “

Ciao! Che cosa ci fai qua?” **(“What are you doing here?”)** the woman asked with a smile of her own, a moment later.

“Sono venuta in vacanza.” **(“I’m here on vacation.”)** Carina replied before she looked at Maya and said in English. “Chiara, this is Maya my girlfriend. Maya, this is Chiara an old friend. We used to hang out when I would come here in the summer.”

“Nice to meet you.” Maya said with a smile as she stretched out her hand.

“Nice to meet you, too.” Chiara returned likewise with a smile, and in English, shaking Maya’s hand. “You are Maya, the firefighter, no?”

Maya and Carina shared a quick glance. They were both surprised by the comment.

Chiara noticed it and her smile grew. “Nonna Rosa has mentioned, once or twice, that you have a friend who is a firefighter.” she explained.

Now, Carina was **_really_** surprised. She had no idea that nonna Rosa was talking about Maya to others, but it had instantly made her very happy.

“So, how long are you staying here?” Chiara asked.

“Ten days.” Carina said. “What about you?”

“A week. Then, I have to go back to work.”

“You still work in Milano at that architectural studio?”

Chiara nodded. “I do. Look, I don’t know what your plans are while here, but I would really like it if we could all meet up for a drink or something. My partner is flying in tomorrow as well, so maybe, the four of us could go out?” she offered.

Carina looked at Maya, who smiled and gave a small nod.

“We’d love to.” Carina said as she looked back at Chiara.

“Great!” Chiara returned. “Now, I would love to stay and talk some more, but I have to go because my brother is making pizza, and as much as I hate to admit it, he still makes one of the best ones I’ve tasted.”

Carina nodded. “I agree. Say hi to Giacomo and your parents for me.”

“I will. It was nice meeting you Maya.” Chiara said.

“You too, Chiara.” Maya returned.

“I’ll call you at you nonna’s house tomorrow so we can organize ourselves.” Chiara then said to Carina.

The brunette nodded again. “OK. E’ stato un piacere rivederti.” **(“It was a pleasure seeing you again.”)**

“Anche a te, Cari.” **(“You too.”)** They hugged again. “See you soon.”

“See you.” And with that, Chiara walked away.

“What?” Carina asked a few beats later as she noticed a knowing grin on her girlfriend’s face.

Maya remained silent for a few more moments, until she was certain that Chiara could no longer her them. Then, she stated matter-of-factly: “You have a type.”

“Excuse me?!” Carina returned, somewhere between surprise and confusion.

“You have a type.” Maya repeated, a trace of smugness in her voice. “You like blondes.”

“That is ridiculous!” Carina countered, much more energetically than she had intended to.

“Oh, is it?” Maya returned, her smirk wide. “Well, let’s see then, shall we? Chiara is blonde. As far as I know, Dr. Robbins was blonde, I am blonde - i.e. you have a type.”

“Chiara and I never dated.” Carina promptly pointed out.

“But, you “ ** _used to hang out_** ” – your words not mine.” Maya remarked with a knowing smirk. “Or are you really going to tell me that all you did was listening to music and play beach volleyball during the summers you were here?” she challenged.

“Beach volleyball?” Carina asked, frowning.

“Well, I don’t know… It just came to mind. I mean, I know you like it and she kinda strikes me as someone who might like it as well, so…”

Now, the Italian chuckled. “Well, we had never played it.” she said. “And we actually did just hang out. Until the last summer before I started university. And, even then, it had never gone beyond harmless summer fun. And, we had basically lost track of each other after that; aside from the occasional _hello_ or a bit of information here and there passed on by my nonnina.”

Maya was tempted to ask what exactly did **_“harmless summer fun”_** mean, but she decided against it. “Well, I’d say it was more than just the occasional _hello_ or a bit of information. I mean, she’s obviously told her about me and that I am a firefighter.” she noted meaningfully.

Carina smiled. “I guess she likes you even more than I thought!”

Suddenly, Maya felt a rush of emotion overcome her. She could not tell if it was the moment, the belated jet-lag - or most likely – simply Carina; but she felt her heart swell with joy. “So, I’m really the first girlfriend you’ve brought home to nonna Rosa?” she asked.

_‘E’ sarai anche l’ultima!’_ Carina thought to herself on instinct as she heard the blonde’s question. She had also immediately noticed the change in Maya’s demeanor. She nodded. “Yes, and also the last one!” she uttered aloud – her words the promise of forever - as she laced their fingers together once again.

“Ti amo, Carina!” Maya rasped emotionally. Later, whenever she would think back to this night, she would always remember it as the night she had lost her heart to Carina “for all time”.

The brunette swallowed hard. It had not been the first time that Maya had told her she loved her in Italian but it did not matter, because every time it felt special and every time it managed to reach the very center of her heart. And, somehow, Carina knew that it always would. “I love you too, bella, so much!” she returned, her voice thick with emotion as well.

A breathtaking kiss followed.

As only the need for oxygen forced it to end, Maya breathed out. “What time does nonna Rosa go to bed?”

“Well, it’s late, and since she got up really early this morning, I told her not to wait up for us; so I think she may have already gone.” Carina replied breathlessly. “Why?”

“Because I would like you to change my mind…” Maya returned as her blue eyes twinkled brightly under the moonlight.

Carina took the hint instantly. “ _Volentieri,_ bella… It will be my pleasure!” she uttered with a suggestive smile of her own.

Without wasting any more time, they started walking toward the house. And thus officially began the first Italian vacation of Maya and Carina!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is officially the end of my longest fic so far. I’m a little sad that it is over, because it has been crazy fun writing it. I just love writing for these two, and if you’ve enjoyed reading this fic half as much as I have writing it – I am one happy FF writer! :D
> 
> THANK YOU again so much for all your kudos and comments and, of course, thank you for reading – I don’t want to use big words here, but I truly appreciate each and every one of you! <3 
> 
> So, this is it from me for this one. But, feel free to comment, anyway! ;) Hope to be back soon, and in the meantime, take care!


End file.
